Multiple casualties in Kentucky high school shooting

Lauren Bengtzen, of Gilbertsville, Ky., paints the Marshall County High School logo on a window at a Taco John’s restaurant in Benton, Ky., Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. Bengtzen, who graduated from Marshall County High School last spring, said she came in early for her shift at the restaurant to paint the window after the fatal school shooting Tuesday. (Photo: Ryan Hermens/The Paducah Sun via AP)

Multiple casualties in Kentucky high school shooting

Stunned by a deadly school shooting, a grief-stricken Kentucky community is struggling to answer an agonizing question: How could one of its own have unleashed such terror?

Police have not publicly identified the 15-year-old accused of opening fire Tuesday at Marshall County High School. With few details coming from authorities, people are left to wonder what triggered the attack that killed two teenagers, injured 18 and sent hundreds fleeing from a place many considered immune from violence.

“I do know that no one with compassion and love and of a clear head could walk in and just hurt so many people randomly,” said Ashley Graham, whose daughter was a close friend of one of the children killed. “There’s no way.”

Police officers said the gunman walked into the commons area where many students gather before classes and started shooting. Witnesses said he fired a single shot, paused, and then emptied the handgun of ammunition before he tried to escape and was arrested.

On Wednesday, authorities said the suspect faces preliminary charges of murder and assault while police investigate what might have prompted the mass shooting. (AP)